Bad Mother
by tophness
Summary: Kya muses as she dies. "To Kya, that was the mark of a bad mother. Not being there for your children." Char. death, obviously. Somewhat happy ending though. Kataang if you squint hard. R&R


**A/N: Guess what this is for? That's right! That Drabble contest on ASN (avatarspirit(dot)net). Seriously, join the site. Fer cereal. Anyway, the theme this time was parenthood. I had a million different plot bunnies roaming around in my head when we got the next prompt, and about three good plot bunnies. So yeah. At first I was gonna go with a fic about Gyatso and Aang (even though Gyatso's not Aang's real father, you know the connection and what not), but then my ideas veered and I wrote a fic about Kya. And I thought it would be interesting her Kya to think these things as she dies. Sorry to be depressing though, for real and honest truth, I'm not one for depressing fics. But I thought this would work the best. Plus, I plan to finish that Gyatso/Aang fic and post it here when I can. Anyway, you know the drill. Read. Review. Cyber cookies for all. Isn't that what we all want in life? Cyber cookies? I think yes. So if you don't review, you won't get a cyber cookie. :3**

**Disclaimer: I seem to have forgotten this in my other fics (oopsies). I fer cerealiously do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. And I'm fer cerealiously telling the truth.**

**Bad Mother**

**OoOoOoO**

She laid there, the smell of her own charred skin stinging her nostrils. It hurt, just laying there, dying. No remedy, no pain killers. She would have to just...sit there and let death take her. But none of this, her beyond burned skin, her slowing heartbeat, the blood filling her lungs, hurt more than the knowledge that she was a bad mother.

Kya was well aware that she had given up her life for her daughter. She wanted Katara to live her life to the fullest, have a family of her own. She especially wanted Katara to live to see the war end.

Yet, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

She knew that after her death, her family will fall into a spiraling depression. Katara will believe that it was her own fault for her mother's death. Sokka will think he could have prevented this, the brave warrior he had become. And Hakoda. Her dear husband. He will live his life in regret that he wasn't there to protect his wife.

Kya did not blame any of her family for her demise, especially not her darling little waterbender. She did not regret giving up her life to protect much more precious ones.

She did, however, have one regret.

Kya always dreamed of being a mother of two beautiful children. When that wish came true, she imagined watching them grow up, fall in love, get married, and start a family. She would play with her grandchildren until she could play no more and she would grow old and die in the arms of her husband. She had promised to Sokka, Katara, and to herself that she would be a great mother.

She would regret breaking that promise.

And maybe, in the eyes of those who love her, she _had_ been a great mother. She had raised her children to the best of her abilities, supported them in everything they did, and even gave up her own life for them!

That was not how she saw it.

She would not see her children grow up. She would not help them during their own parenthood. She would not give them comfort in their lowest of times.

She would not be there for them.

To Kya, that was the mark of a bad mother. Not being there for your children.

Kya knew she had little time left. And as if on cue, she heard several rushed footsteps through the crunching snow and the flap of her tent was thrown open.

"Mom!" She heard from two pairs of small, terrified voices.

"Kya..." A softer, yet much deeper voice this time.

Kya slowly opened her eyes, not having recalled them being closed.

"She's still alive!" Katara's angelic little voice cried out.

Kya struggled to keep her vision straight as she felt three bodies kneel at her side. "Not for long, I'm afraid."

"Wh...what?"

"Honey, I'm dying. And there's no way to fix me. But I just want you to know..." Kya looked to her son. "Both of you...that I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry that I'm leaving you. I love you both so very much and even though I can no longer promise that I'll be here, I'll always be watching over you."

Sokka was still silent. Tears glistened in his too-blue eyes and Kya's heart shattered. Katara let out a quiet sob and Kya's heart broke some more.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetie. And when I'm gone, I want you to take my necklace as your own. And you can pass it down to your daughter, if you like."

Katara only nodded as a few more tears trickled down her face.

"Sokka." The boy closed his eye, releasing a few tears himself. "I love you just as well. Please, don't ever stop being the brave warrior that you are. You are so strong and I need you to be strong for your sister. Take care of her, protect her. I know you can."

Sokka opened his eyes, cheeks drenched. He too nodded. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too." Kya finally looked to her husband. "And Hakoda, I love you. I'm sorry I won't be there to help you. Please take care of our children."

Another nod was directed at Kya. "I will. And I love you, Kya."

A nod of her own and she closed her owns, taking her last breath.

And even with all the apologies, the love exchanged in her last moments, Kya still felt like she was leaving the earth a bad mother.

**OoOoOoO**

Many, many years later, Katara, now a mother herself, stood in the kitchen of her home, cleaning the dishes after an early dinner with her family. She heard her two oldest sons playing in the yard with their father, yet she did not know where her daughter had disappeared to after dinner. That is, until she felt a small hand tug on her dress.

"Mommy?"

Katara looked into the bright, gray eyes of her daughter and smiled. "Yes, honey?"

"What's this?" The girl held out her small fist, in it was a necklace of blue ribbon with an intricate design carved onto the pendent hanging from it.

"Oh..." Katara sighed nostalgically and kneeled down to her daughter's height. "That was my mother's necklace. Where did you find it?"

"In your drawer."

"Well, now that I have my own, would you like it? My mother passed it down to me, and now I'll pass it down to you and you can pass it down to your daughter, if you like." The little girl nodded vigorously and grinned.

Katara took the necklace and secured it around her daughter's neck. She looked just like her grandmother. She would be a great mother as well. Just like her grandmother.

**END**

**Okay, I kinda don't like the ending. It was kinda rushed, don't you think? I must know what you think. I was rushing to finish cause I had to post this on ASN. There was a deadline tonight and I hadn't written down the ending, so I made it up when I was typing, which I don't usually do. Anyway, you might be able to expect that Gyatso/Aang fic maybe within the month, but unfortunately, no promises. I also have a Ty Lee fic about her breaking the other Kyoshi Warriors out of prison that too was suppose to be for the Drabble contest, but I never finished it on time, so I'm planning to make it into a multi-chapter fic. How does that sound? Alright, review and you know and stuff and yeah. I'm out. PEACE.**


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